### 4

You enter the inn to find several patrons enjoying the libations and entertainments of this friendly establishment. The air is sweet with burning incense and the tap room is brightly lit and decorated with colourful flags and silk banners. Behind the lacquered counter there is a large portrait of Xo-lin, the late Khea-khan of Chai. The ornate frame is draped with two flags: the national flag of Chai and the town flag of Vabou. You follow Anseng to one end of the counter where the portly proprietor, Lun-chow, is polishing glasses with a piece of suede leather. He smiles broadly upon recognising your guide.

‘Later than I expected,’ he says, amiably, ‘but better late than never. Delayed by the weather no doubt.’

Anseng nods but says nothing about the deadly encounters you experienced during your difficult journey to Vabou. Lun-chow is an honest innkeeper and his association with Anseng goes back several decades, but he is also a notorious gossipmonger. If Anseng were to tell him of the Chagarashi attacks and your confrontation with the Spectral Entity, it would be all over town before dawn.

Your guide is sorely aware that you will need fresh horses to replace the mounts you lost on the way here. He advises you to avail yourself of the comforts of the inn while he negotiates the loan of horses with Lun-chow. He says it will likely take some time to strike a fair deal with the innkeeper.

Your rumbling stomach reminds you that you have not eaten since mid-afternoon. A barmaid is standing at the other end of the taproom counter, taking an order for food from one of the patrons. She scribbles his request on a parchment pad.

If you wish to approach the barmaid and order a meal, turn to 254.

If you decide to eat a Meal from your Backpack, turn to 38.